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By Root 3581 0

Truman had done.5 Taft made his friend Howard Buffett head of his Nebraska presidential campaign and also head of his speakers’ bureau. To oppose Taft, the so-called Eastern Liberal Establishment6 that Howard so despised had drafted retired General Dwight D. Eisenhower—a moderate who had served as the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and was the first Supreme Commander of NATO forces. Eisenhower, a politically adroit diplomat with excellent leadership skills, was a popular figure viewed by many as a war hero. As the convention approached, “Ike” began to catch up in the polls.

What would prove to be the most controversial Republican convention in history unfolded in Chicago as Eisenhower backers pushed through an amendment to the convention rules, passed on a contentious vote, that handed him the delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot. Taft’s outraged supporters felt robbed. But Eisenhower soon made peace with them by promising to combat “creeping socialism,” and Taft insisted that his followers swallow their outrage and vote for Eisenhower for the sake of regaining the White House. The Republicans united behind him and his running mate, Richard Nixon; “I Like Ike” buttons sprouted everywhere.7 Everywhere, that is, except on Howard Buffett’s chest. He broke with the party by refusing to endorse Eisenhower.8

This was an act of political suicide. His support within the party evaporated overnight. He was left standing on principle—alone. Warren recognized that his father had “painted himself into a corner.”9 From his earliest childhood, Warren had always tried to avoid broken promises, burned bridges, and confrontation. Now Howard’s struggles branded three principles even deeper into his son: that allies are essential; that commitments are so sacred that by nature they should be rare; and that grandstanding rarely gets anything done.

Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson in the November election, and in January Warren’s parents dragged themselves back to Washington to finish out the rest of Howard’s lame-duck term. Warren, who had for some time recognized obsessive qualities in Howard and Leila that disadvantaged them in various ways, had begun to absorb something of his in-laws’ style. Dorothy Thompson was easygoing, and her husband, though autocratic, was more personable and astute at human relations than the rigorously idealistic Howard Buffett. The more time he spent with Susie and her family, the more they influenced him.

“Warren,” said Doc Thompson, who handed down advice with the authority of the Sermon on the Mount, “always surround yourself with women. They’re more loyal and they work harder.”10 His son-in-law hardly needed to be told that. Indeed, Warren had always craved being taken care of by women, as long as they didn’t try to order him around. Susie could see that he was eager for her to assume a motherly role. So she wrapped herself around her husband as she worked on “fixing” him, the wreck, the mess. “Oh, my God,” she said, “he was a case.”11 When they met, she recalled, “I had never seen anyone in so much pain.”

Warren may not have been aware of the depths or dimensions of his pain, but describes the powerful role she played in his life. “Susie was as big an influence on me as my dad, or bigger probably, in a different way. I had all these defense mechanisms that she could explain, but I can’t. She probably saw things in me that other people couldn’t see. But she knew it would take time and a lot of nourishment to bring it out. She made me feel that I had somebody with a little sprinkling can who was going to make sure that the flowers grew.”

Susie recognized Warren’s vulnerability, how much he needed to be soothed and comforted and reassured. More and more, she could see the effect his mother had had on her children. Doris was the more badly damaged, but Leila had convinced both Warren and Doris that deep down they were worthless. In every area of life except business, Susie was discovering, her husband was riddled with self-doubt. He had never felt loved,